


The Heroine Appears.

by rarmaster



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR WORST END ROUTE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 13:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4920814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarmaster/pseuds/rarmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I’m not a hero. But I know there’s someone out there. Someone who’ll never give up trying to do the right thing, no matter what. There’s no prophecy or legend about someone like that. It’s just something I know is true. That someone like that will strike you down."</p><p>MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE WORST END ROUTE!!!  //  and some pretty heavy depictions of a battle, so, be warned of that too</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Heroine Appears.

**Author's Note:**

> JUST ONE MORE TIME, TO BE SURE: IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN THE WORST END ROUTE OF UNDERTALE, DON'T!!! CONTINUE!!!! THERE ARE MMAAAAAAAASSSIIIIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!! I WARNED YOU!!!! I FRIKKEN!!! WARNED YOU!!!!!

“So s-stop where you a-are…!”

Undyne swore under her breath, running as fast as her legs could carry her. That dumb kid! She’d told them to stay away from the Human. To stay far away from the Human! To go home! Not that they had a home to go to at this point, she was sure, but! It didn’t matter! She’d told them to stay away from the Human and they hadn’t listened!!

And now they were going to die. They were going to die, because they hadn’t listened, and that human—she couldn’t believe it! She’d heard humans were bad, but _this_ bad? No! No time to think. The Monster Kid—! She had to be quick enough!

The Human slashed their knife.

Undyne’s hand closed around the Monster Kid’s shirt.

She shoved them back, putting herself in the path of the blade.

Agony ripped through her chest. She shuddered from head to toe. She could feel her body start to lose its form, right down at her legs, but she held herself together. Just long enough not to worry the kid. Just long enough to…

“U-Undyne… Y-You’re hurt…!”

“Hurt? It’s nothing.” Even as she was losing herself, she kept her voice firm and confident. “Next time, listen when I tell you to get out of here!”

“U-Undyne…!!”

“What did I just say? Get out of here! I’ll take care of this.” She sent a reassuring look down at them, though she did not take her eye off the Human for more than a second. She couldn’t afford to. The monster kid took a few stumbling steps backward, and then they ran.

Undyne let out a breath of relief, then hung her head, laughing emptily. Her form flickered faster, and the top half of her shifted sideways. She’d been sliced clean in two!

“‘It’s nothing,’” she laughed to herself. “No. Somehow, in one hit, you’ve managed to—” She did not cry—she had not in a long time—but she took a shuddering breath in through broken lungs. She did not want to think about it. Defeated, here? By a human! “Papyrus… Alphys… Asgore… I- I failed you…” That hurt worse than the pain in her chest, than the feeling of her body disintegrating.

No…

_No._

She couldn’t let that happen.

“My body… feels like it’s splitting apart… Like any second I’ll scatter into a million pieces… _But._ ” She tightened fragile fingers around her spear. Looked the Human dead in the eye. “There’s a burning feeling I can’t describe. A burning that _WON’T_ let me die!”

The Human’s expression barely changed. They spun their blade comfortably in their hand.

“This isn’t just about monsters anymore, is it…?” Undyne asked. “If you get past me, you’ll destroy… everyone. Monsters, and humans alike… Isn’t that right!?” She shifted her weight into a fighting position. The burning in her chest was growing stronger. “Everyone’s hopes. Everyone’s dreams. Destroyed! But I WON’T let you do that.”

The Human watched impatiently. They seemed to be _daring_ her to take that step forward and strike, like they knew how brittle her body was right now. A smile tugged on her lips. She raised her fist and clenched it before her.

“Right now, everyone in the world… I can feel their hearts beating as one. And we all have ONE goal. To defeat _you._ Human, no, whatever you are! For the sake of the whole world…” Undyne broke into a wide grin. She’d never felt so powerful, and it was _so good._ “I, _UNDYNE,_ will _strike! you! down!_ ”

The dust making up her body shifted, reformed. Energy swelled around her, and when it settled, that slice down her middle was gone, and she was whole, and her fingers did not feel like they would break when she gripped her spear. Power coursed through her veins, and she rolled her neck and breathed deeply, getting a good feel of it. It felt good.

It felt real good.

She lunged forward, striking the Human—what else was she supposed to call it, even if it wasn’t human?!—with her spear. They sidestepped. Slashed her with their knife. It hurt, as she jumped back, but she was still holding her form. Good.

“It’s gonna take a little more than THAT!” she scoffed, spinning her spear. She grinned so wide it should have split her face.

She summoned more spears to her, extensions of her SOUL, and sent them at the Human. They ducked and dodged and rolled, but at least one hit them. No, three. She could feel each strike, feel the power and determination of the earth swell in her chest at each hit. Each hit was one closer to this… _thing_ being brought down, and the earth inside her cried out in relief.

It kept her going.

The Human rolled out of the way of the final spear, then threw themselves at her. Their blade struck hard, but she gritted her teeth and kept the grin on her face. She could do this. She could stop them.

Undyne twirled her spear in a familiar pattern, then swung at the Human, as if to hit, though the spear went well over their head instead. That was the point. The Human glowed green—they tried to strike at Undyne, but her magic held them there. For now.

Had this been any other time, she would’ve told them the trick to it. Any other opponent deserved a fair fight. Any other opponent. Not this one. She sent a flurry of spears at the Human, from all sides. They fumblingly—accidentally—manage to block the first few, but not the rest.

Undyne’s eye widened with glee, mouth open in a large grin. It was good to see the Human fall, and the joy and relief flooding her chest was intoxicating. That was it. The world was safe. She let out a long breath, slowly letting the power go—

Then there was a tug, a _snap,_ and she was running.

She was running, attention fixed on the Monster Kid, standing _just_ too close to the Human. Surprised at seeing this sight again, seeing the Human alive, seeing, well, _everything_ that was going on right now, she staggered, but only a step. The power of the earth had left her veins, too, and it was that more than anything else that made it hard to breathe.

Undyne’s mind roiled with questions. Why was she here? _How_ was here again? She’d defeated the human, and yet! Here they were. The Monster Kid, foolishly trying to make friends after she’d told them to go home. The Human, about ready to strike them. Her, running, hoping she’d get there in time—

What had happened? She didn’t understand!

The Human slashed their knife.

Undyne’s hand closed around the Monster Kid’s shirt.

Déjà vu filled her mind, but she did not let that slow her actions. She may not have understood why she was back here, doing this all over again, but she understood if she was too slow, that Monster Kid wouldn’t be around much longer.

She yanked the kid back, putting herself in the path of the Human’s blow. It seemed twice as hard this time, though whether that was because they struck harder or because her veins were not flowing with near-invincibility like they had been just minutes ago, Undyne wasn’t sure.

“U-Undyne…!”

“Get out of here!” she told the Monster Kid. “I’ll handle it!” There was no time to scold them, too many other things to think about. Honestly, _how_ was time repeating itself like this!? It didn’t make _any_ sense!

Undyne snarled at the human. The pain in her chest made it hard to breathe, and the feeling of being just seconds from shattering wasn’t a pleasant one. “How did you _do this?!_ ”she demanded. “Is this some kind of human magic Alphys never told me about? Oh, but wait! I forgot!” She laughed, angrily. “You aren’t human!!”

They didn’t answer, though she didn’t expect them to. They seemed to be the kind of creature who much preferred action over talking. Even now, they spun their knife in their hand. Their blank expression made Undyne’s blood boil.

“NGAH! FORGET IT!” she screamed. “You’ll have to do a lot better than some crazy magic tricks!”

Her body had already started scattering, but she recognized the burning in her gut for what it was this time, and was very thankful it was back. She took a deep breath and opened herself up to it, opened herself up to the desire of every heart in the underground, the determination of every SOUL on this planet, opened herself up to the power they were pouring into her, their heroine, so that she may win yet again.

The strength really was intoxicating. Undyne took a shaky breath, trying to get used to the feeling of so much power and energy coursing through her blood. The agony in her chest ebbed away, because in this form, she was whole. In this form, she was invincible, and it was the best she’d ever felt.

“C’mon! Do you really think you can beat me _now!_ I already killed you once!”

She took a step forward, and twirled her spear. The Human slashed at her. She ducked out of the way. This time, she didn’t hesitate—she swung her spear right over their head and jumped back as the green glow surrounded them. They snarled. Undyne sent in her spears.

They seemed to survive longer this time, but maybe that was just because she hadn’t worn them down first. The earth sung inside her with each blow to their body, and she relished in the feeling. And then—ha! The human was down.

And she was running.

It was the emptiness in her body, the sudden lack of the earth’s power in her bones that knocked the air out of her lungs more than the anger and horror at being back in this position. Undyne screamed out, in fury, in desperation. How many times would they keep doing this!? She didn’t stop running, though. Sure enough, the Monster Kid was there again, and if she didn’t pull them out of the way—UGH! She cursed them up and down for not listening to her and going home, but what did that _really_ matter? _How_ was she back here again!!

She grabbed the Monster Kid and threw them behind her, into safety. It was easier that way. Faster.

“I’ll take care of this!” she shouted to them, as the Human’s blade struck her.

It hit much higher on her body this time, three times as hard.

Like they’d been aiming for her.

Surprised by that, Undyne lost hold of herself and her form a lot quicker than she normally would have. She was halfway through turning to dust when she managed to latch onto that burning feeling, and let it fill her. One heart. One desire. One goal, and fire in her veins to accomplish it.

Her body meshed itself back together. The Human struck her again.

Undyne staggered, but only a few steps. This form was much, much stronger than her other one. She was still whole.

“Tell me how you’re DOING THIS!!” she demanded, throwing her spear at the Human.

Unsurprisingly, they still didn’t respond.

They only moved to strike.

Undyne pulled her special attack first thing—there was no point dragging this out, even if her bones sung with the power of the earth and everyone on it as she moved. It was truly wonderful to feel like this, but she couldn’t let that distract her from her goal! She had to strike the Human—strike this _creature_ with apparent time-manipulation powers—down!

The Human definitely survived her special attack longer, this time, and that sent chills down her spine. Had they figured out the trick? And, it was almost like they knew which direction her spears were coming from! Weird! Had she really repeated the pattern? She didn’t think she even _had_ a pattern to this attack!

The Human fell again, but it was a short lived victory, just like the others. Undyne watched their body hit the ground, and then with a sharp tug of her mind and a yank of all the power out of her bones, she was running again.

And it kept happening.

Five more times, she pulled the Monster Kid out of the way. Five more times, she took a fatal blow. Five more times, she was filled to the brim with the power of the earth and desire to end this creature’s life, and five more times, she struck them down. Each time, they survived longer than the last, though. She might have been winning, but she was losing—how could she compete with _time loops!_ —and it _infuriated_ her.

She couldn’t stop herself from being snapped back into the same spot each time the Human died. She couldn’t risk not saving the Monster Kid—even if that was, somehow, the key to winning, it wasn’t worth it!—and she couldn’t help but feel like she was getting slower and slower each time. Having power and glory and determination from every SOUL on this planet given to her, and then yanked away, given to her, yanked away, yanked away, yanked away…

That seemed to take more of a toll on her than the repeat of the battle itself.

Undyne started dragging the battles out, just a little, just so she could keep the power in her body for a bit longer, before it was snatched from her. She held out on her special attack for a few turns, each time. The physical blows to her body were nothing compared to the yank and loss of energy as everything reset. Anger boiled in her blood as she watched the Human avoid every spear in her special attack. _No one_ should be able to do that!

“HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!?” she yelled, angry about more than just their avoidance of her attack. How were they resetting time like this at all? It wasn’t _fair!_ “YOU _CHEATER!!”_

The determination in their eyes scared her more than their best snarl ever would.

She sent up a flurry of spears from the ground below them—too fast and too close together to be avoided.

The Human fell again.

Undyne grinned a smile that was more angry than happy, even as every other SOUL on the planet cried out with relief inside her. They didn’t know. All she could do was relish in this victory, in the sight of the Human defeated, relish in it while it lasted, and then—

She was running.

Each footfall seemed heavy.

Undyne told herself that it was only because this form was weaker than the other one, that it was the shock of the power leaving her veins again, and no other reason. She pressed forward, went through the motions all over again.

“YOU’LL NEVER WIN!” she screamed, as she took the burning into her body, struck the Human down, and let the burning go before it was yanked away from her and she was running again.

“YOU’LL! NEVER! BEAT ME!”

She took the fatal blow, let herself reform, retaliated with an attack twice as strong, and then she was running.

“I, AM UNDYNE!!” she screeched, before her hands even closed on the Monster Kid’s shirt.

“UNDYNE!! THE!! UNDYING!!!”

She started with her special attack this time. They dodged every spear. Her eye was wide, and her grin was angry, but she refused to let this power, this chance, go to waste. They could do this for an eternity? Well, so could she!

They struck her hard in the chest. She sent her spears flying in from all sides.

It didn’t matter how many times everything was reset, Undyne decided, as the world shifted and she was running again.

As long as there was breath in her lungs—and there would be breath in her lungs, each time, each time, each time—she would not stop. She’d keep them trapped in this loop forever, if she had to!

“It doesn’t matter! How many times you come back!” she laughed, as the energy of the world filled her again. It was sweetness in her lungs. Everyone’s heart beat inside her, as one. That was enough. That would always be enough. One heart. One desire. A million resets, but they would never stop her.

“It doesn’t! matter! How many times you reset this damn world!! YOU! WON’T! WIN!!!”

She twirled her spear for her special attack again. They did not avoid it so easily this time, and she couldn’t be happier at the sight of it. Undyne moved with the beating of her chest, the roiling of her blood, out of the way of the Human’s net blow.

“I WILL STAND IN YOUR WAY!” she called. “I WILL ALWAYS STAND IN YOUR WAY!”

She sent up spears from below the Human’s feet again, watching as they danced around them. They dodged most of them, but not all of them. Each blow to their body still made joy sing inside her. If she could feel like this forever, she’d never complain.

“As long as the people hold on, _so will I!_ ”

The Human struck her hard, but not hard enough.

Undyne just grinned.

“We’ll do this!! _FOREVER!!”_

She struck them down, and the world reset.

Maybe forever here meant that she’d never see Alphys, or Asgore again. But if she lost, she wasn’t going to be seeing them anyway. And this Human—creature, thing—had already killed Papyrus. She’d make them pay for that. Make them pay for crushing everyone’s dreams!

Killing them twenty times—or maybe it was more by now? Undyne wasn’t sure—was probably enough payback.

Now if only they’d _stay dead!_

“How many times do I have to tell you?” she asked, as they went through the first motions of the reset again (always the hardest part). She trembled in her weak body, but the burning was there for her to latch onto just a second later. She absorbed it, twirled her spear. “ _You can’t beat me!”_

They just smiled and readied their knife, running at her.

“But can you really do this forever?” they asked.

Those were the only words they’d ever spoken to her, and they hit much harder than their knife ever could. Doubts swam in Undyne’s mind. She may be brash, she may be reckless, but she wasn’t stupid. Even if she could fight forever—which, she couldn’t, but shut up yes she could—she wasn’t sure how long she could handle the shock of having the power yanked from her veins at each reset. It got worse each time it happened. How many times could she really survive it?

She moved as they ran at her, and jabbed them through with her spear.

And as she watched the life fade from their eyes, she held on.

She held on.

She held onto this feeling, this image of them defeated, this relief of a victory. She held onto it, and the burning in her chest. Alphys said that their determination was what made humans so special, well, _so what,_ Undyne was determined too!

It was about more than just striking the Human down, she told the beating in her chest, the beating of everyone’s hearts inside her. It was about _keeping them down._ That’s what was most important, and she fueled her energy and determination and everything inside her into that thought.

This was the longest a victory had lasted, and hope started creeping into her. Hope that that had worked—

It was snatched from her.

Undyne stumbled instead of running, like she was supposed to, after a reset, surprised that that had seemed to work, even if only for a moment. Determination filled her to the brim, and she turned the stumble into a roll and was back on her feet. Her heart pounded in her skull. She had almost had it! That had almost worked!

She just had to do it one more time, she was sure, and this time, _it would be the last._

She hardly registered her actions as she grabbed the Monster Kid, grabbed them and threw them out of danger—she cackled as the Human’s blade cut through her body for a supposedly fatal blow.

“I KNOW! WHAT TO DO NOW!” she taunted, and she opened herself to the burning, opened herself to receive the hopes and dreams and determination of everyone on this planet, everyone who was working against _this creature in front of her._ “I KNOW!! HOW TO BEAT YOU!! I JUST HAVE TO HOLD ON!!”

The Human snarled loudly, running at her before she had even finished transforming. It was _good_ to see them angry. Undyne was so giddy she hardly felt their blow.

“WE JUST HAVE TO HOLD ON! YOU CAN’T WIN!!” Her grin felt like it would split her face in two. “YOUR DETERMINATION IS _NOTHING_ AGAINST THE DETERMINATION OF EVERYONE ELSE ON THIS PLANET!!!”

Undyne sent her spears up from the ground beneath them again, satisfaction swelling in her chest as the Human stumbled backwards out of the way. As they were doing that, she sent a torrent of spears at them from behind, pushing them forward. They leapt over the spears at their feet, brought their knife crashing down through her body—they hit hard, but it was still not hard enough, it would never be hard enough.

She danced out of the Human’s reach, and twirled her spear for her special attack again. It was hard to watch the Human avoid every single spear in it, but she didn’t stop grinning. She had this, she was sure of it. She could win. It was fire and determination in her blood and in her bones, and she was drunk on its power.

She’d never felt so sure of herself.

And every SOUL inside her was just as certain as she was that she could do this.

The Human went down just a few attacks later—they hadn’t memorized all her patterns yet, and even if they had, they were a stumbling killing machine, not a trained warrior who’d prepared all her life for a moment like this. Undyne stuck them down, and she held on.

She poured herself and every SOUL inside of her into it, into the shape of this world, into the shape of this moment, willing them all to stay just as they were, and she held on.

She held on.

Ten seconds passed.

A full minute.

Two!

Her heart pounded like a fierce drum, and she breathed hard with relief, because she’d done it, she really had! Nothing was shifting. Nothing was changing. Everything was staying just the way it was, just the way it was supposed to. She grinned with joy.

And it was in that joy, and in the surprise that this had worked, that she let go.

Everything snapped, _yanked—_

She wasn’t running.

She was in the middle of her special attack, like she had been just a few minutes ago. Not running to save the Monster Kid. Not gasping for air because the singing power of the planet had left her veins. She was standing, watching her spears rain down on the Human, and she was so surprised to be there, that the attack cut short.

The attack cut short, and the green around the Human faded.

A sick grin spread across their face.

They threw their knife.

It flew at Undyne, faster than she could react, and hit her dead in the chest. She skidded backwards across the bridge, dust flying off of her as she went—the knife seemed to cut into her very being, into her very SOUL, and it was agony.

“HOW DID YOU DO THAT!!” she shrieked. “HOW DID YOU!! DO THAT!!”

Even all that power in her veins, even all that determination, the determination of _every SOUL on the planet—_ it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to stop this creature. It wasn’t enough to hold the world in its place, in its _proper_ place, it wasn’t _enough_ and that was the worst of it. It wasn’t enough.

“D- _damn it,_ ” Undyne choked. Her body wavered. The power inside her started spilling out, bleeding back into the earth, sucking her dry as it went. Losing it was worse than the pain in her chest where the Human’s knife still stuck.

She took a shaky breath through aching lungs, and then she threw her head back, and she _laughed._ It hurt, that all she’d worked up to, all she’d poured into this, had ended thanks to some _cheap trick,_ but she wouldn’t give the Human—that _creature_ —the satisfaction of seeing her break.

“If- if you think! I’m going to give up hope!! YOU’RE WRONG!!” she shouted, as much to taunt them as to reassure herself. “Alphys—Alphys was going to watch me fight! And if something went wrong, if _anything_ went wrong, she’d promised she’d start evacuating everyone!!”

Maybe she’d lost, but she’d bought everyone time, in the end. It wasn’t power and life coursing through her veins, it wasn’t the victory she wanted, but it was a victory, and that would have to be enough. That would have to be enough.

“They’re all _SAFE!_ ” she jeered. “They’re all safe, and you won’t be able to find them! You won’t be able to hurt them!!”

Silently, she said an apology to every SOUL who’d lent her power, to every SOUL who’d given her the strength to keep going this long. She had failed them, and she hated herself for it—hated that _thing_ standing in front of her!—but there was nothing she could do now. There were no resets for her.

“And by now, Alphys has called Asgore, and he’s absorbed the six human SOULS!” she boasted, desperately.

Her body was losing shape fast now, but Undyne refused to do anything but smile. She closed her eyes, and let the earth take her.

“And, with that power— _This world will live on!!”_

This world had to live on.

 


End file.
